Serpent's Blood
by EDS
Summary: Sure ain't HBP! The Drageni are a cursed race, deep in hiding in the Muggle world. When one falls in the hands of evil, and another in the hands of Dumbledore, the adventure begins.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: I posted "Serpent's Blood" once before, but I changed a few things, then decided to repost it. Figured I should attempt to get it finished before the actual book six comes out in July sobs with happiness and weeps with joy. Should anyone read this tale, there are a few things that I'd like to point out. First off, it's probably not completely up to canon standards (I can't remember EVERYTHING that's happened, but I am rereading the stories). Secondly, yes, Drageni is my own little piece of story telling. Third, no, this isn't a "Mary Sue" story, but "interesting" thingswill happen eventually. Anyway, please enjoy. Review if you can. Thanks. _--EDS_**

* * *

**Chapter One:**

_Summer Travelers_

To say it was the beginning of summer, the night was cool and crisp. A breath could easily be seen on the air. Goose-bumps spotted any skin exposed to the night. The soft breeze, carrying the sweet scent of musky earth with it, only made the sensation worse. Not only that, the moisture gave the cool air a clinging sensation, like it had grabbed hold and refused to let go.

It was silent–almost too much so. Stillness took the night for the most part, only to be broken by the loud clacking sound of hooves on the cobblestone road and buggy wheels turning.

The blue grey carriage trotted along at an easy pace, led by two beautiful black horses that gleamed in the paleness of moonlight. Thanks to a spell, there was no driver, just a pair of invisible hands guiding the team of stallions. A soft yellow light glowed within the carriage, just bright enough to show the outlines of two people inside, sitting across from each other.

Despite direction from the invisible hands holding the reigns, the horses suddenly slowed their movement along the paved road until they both stopped. The pair fidgeted, making neighing sounds as their metal horse shoes clicked and clanked on stone.

"Woah!" a man's voice called within the carriage, "What's wrong with you two?"

The black horses continued, becoming more agitated with time.

"Something has the horses spooked. Let me go out and check."

He slid to the left door of the carriage, opening it slightly. Before he could step out, he noticed just how high up they were along the mountainous road. The menacing cliffs plummeted into darkness spotted with moonlit treetops. With shaking hands, he closed the door again, giving his companion a nervous chuckle.

"I think I'll try the other side."

This time he slid to the right side of the carriage which led to a safe ledge to stand on. Sighing with relief of firm ground, the man walked to the horses, giving them a gentle stroke with strong hands. His long black fingernails seemed to shine from the paleness of the orb in the sky. For a moment, the sight took him by surprise, but he quickly came to. After a quick shake of the head, he went back to attempting to calm the horses down.

"Hey, fella, whasamata? Everything's fine." He said to the first horse. A fine stallion named Oni. "Hush, Oni, what's the problem?"

Of course, the horse didn't speak. Oni and his counterpart, Mage, both moved away from the man with fear in their dark eyes. Their owner frowned as he watched them, still trying to soothe them.

The man looked around at the scene. The path beyond them was as clear as the night. He looked to his side. The mountain's side jutted up to the sky with nothing out of the ordinary waiting for his eyes. There was nothing for the horses to fear, yet . . .

"Alright, you two . . . let's just get going, eh?" he said, deciding to head back to the coach. He stared at his companion warmly with a small smile playing on his lips. "I think they're just playing a game with us tonight, they are. Nothing's out there other than cliffs and rocks."

The woman smiled back and shrugged.

"I think we need to get this journey on the road, don't you?" he asked her, "The faster we travel the road, the sooner we can get this over with."

He reached into the candle-lit buggy and grabbed her hand. With a sweet twinkle in his eye, he brought her hand to his lips, pressing his mouth on her skin. He lingered there for a moment, closing his eyes as to savor the sensation, then let out a soft but content animalistic snort from his slightly flared nostrils. The hand within his moved away, gently tracing his jawbone with a finger with a sharp black nail, matching his own. His eyes opened, still with a twinkle that suddenly turned playful.

"I see you're ready to end this as well." He growled quietly to her.

"Maybe." She said with a voice as playful as his eyes.

Oni whined loudly, leaping onto his hind legs, kicking his front feet in the air wildly as though fighting something off. The man dropped the woman's hand as his face turned to the horses. He clicked at them annoyed as the invisible hands tugged on the reigns.

"Oni!" the man cried out, loudly

And then there was a rush of energy with a blast of light, followed by the quick movement of wind from something moving far too quickly. Suddenly, the man was thrown backwards to the rock face of the towering mountain, knocking his head against it. Before the man could even see what hit them, he heard the carriage and the horses sliding over the edge of the cliff.

"NO!" he screamed, his voice turning rough and fearful in an instant

He tried to reach out, but it was too late. The carriage plummeted into darkness with a loud roaring sound. The man scrambled to the edge, clawing at the stone road and screaming into the night. He couldn't see anything.

Rage shook him. How could this have happened?! His dark nails started to grow longer as he clutched the ground with a shaking fist and his eyes began to glow a golden color. His skin seemed to ripple as thick, dark scales suddenly formed on him. A heart wrenching call sounded from deep within him as this continued.

Another blast of energy and light washed over him and he crippled up in pain with another anguished scream. The man fell completely to the ground, immobilized.

Someone stepped from the shadows of night. The man was too dizzy to make him out, but he could sense the malice in the being that was slowly approaching. The dark creature stepped closer and closer, till the fallen man could practically taste his scent.

A clawed and scaley hand closed around his throat, almost as reptilian as his own, and he couldn't fight it off. How desperately he wanted his revenge . . .

"I've been waiting a long time for you." The hand squeezed with claws digging into skin, "You are going to help me do something I've been wanting to do for far too long." The bastard said with a hissing voice.

The last thing the man saw before the world went dark was dark red eyes filled with coldness and hatred.

* * *

School was out for summer, but things were still very busy in the wizarding world. Now that the Ministry of Magic finally accepted what was what, that he-who- . . . Voldemort, had returned, things were beginning to change. Something of a war was looming on the horizon. Everyone started to prepare for the worst, which didn't seem like such a bad idea. 

Despite things being at their worst, some decided to get out and about to do some things before things got any worse. Hagrid happened to be one of these people.

It just so happened that on that very day--the day after the carriage attack--Hagrid was taking a hike through the dense woods surrounding the Misting Mountain. A few other creature collectors informed him that a rare breed of bugbear lived in the woods. That was more than enough incentive for him to venture.

He and Fang traveled in the dense woods close together. The old dog sniffed at the forest floor while they moved. Hagrid kept his eyes on the whole terrain, hoping to see one of the little bears. If he was lucky, he could get a hold of one to take back to Hogwarts. The kids would surely love that, he thought with a smile. Not many people got to see one up close and most people didn't know how to care for one. He'd love to show the students just how.

A crackling sound held Hagrid in place. He held an arm out to Fang to stop him.

"Hold on there, boy, let's see wha' we got here." He said quietly as he bent down and started pushing bushes apart with caution.

Within the parted greenery was a cute little bear, no more than a foot and a half high. The little fella had his back turned to Hagrid as he played with a stick and a rock on the ground mindlessly. Hagrid smiled at the brown and black bugbear, then reached out to catch it, foolishly with bare hands. Just as his hands got close enough to be tickled by fur, Fang poked his nose a little closer with a sneeze.

The tiny bugbear turned around, slowly, facing Hagrid and Fang. His big golden eyes gleamed for a moment, staring at him like a sad kitten would. Then after a moment, sharp white teeth and angry red eyes showed themselves to the half giant and his dog. Fang immediately ran to find a hiding spot, while Hagrid's eyes went wide.

The bugbear hissed as it jumped to an attack position, snapping its elongated teeth two times at Hagrid's massive hand. Hagrid backed his hand away quickly, which caused the bush to slap the approaching animal in the face. It whined sadly from within, then started running off.

"Wait, come back!" Hagrid said as he took off after the creature through some the trees and bushes.

The trees were thick and slightly wet from the morning dew. Each branch hung low, at least by Hagrid's standards. As he pushed through in pursuit, the leaves and bark slapped him on the face. Some of those branches got him just hard enough to give him tiny cuts along his face.

He continued to go on, though he had a good feeling he lost the tiny bear. He muttered a curse, just as he pulled into a very small clearing, surrounded by the rest of the woods. The sun shone on the grass, giving it a slightly misty glow. It brought a smile to his face as he stepped further within.

His black eyes lazily scanned the area, finding some inner peace within because of the scene. It was like something out of a fairytale. Peaceful, beautiful, serene, perfect . . . well, except for the carriage door dangling from the treetops.

"Wha's that?" he said to himself as he rushed over to find out.

He moved through the opposite side of the clearing to the next part of the woods. As soon as he stepped inside, he stumbled across a black horse, lying on the ground. He could tell in an instant that the poor creature's neck had been broken. His mouth curled in a frown as he bent down to look a little closer. By the way he was on the ground, Hagrid realized that he must have fallen from the road in the mountains above quite some time ago.

Standing up straight, he sighed with a slightly weeping groan to it, then began moving further into the woods. He passed another horse, in the same condition if not a little worse with burn marks on the side of his face. However, this one still had its reigns on. The other's must have fallen off during the fall. The sight made him slightly queasy. Something awful must have happened.

Then finally, he came to the carriage, lying on its side near the tree with the dangling door. One of the wooden wheels had been snapped in three, part of the metal had been dented in. It was quite a horrible sight to see. And he hoped with all his large heart that no one was in the carriage . . .

With mild hesitation, he stepped up to the carriage to peak inside, then let out another sigh. A young woman was inside. Long dark braids fell to one side of her face, covering up her eye and nose, but left her mouth exposed. A small trickle of blood was at her lips to her soft brown cheek, still wet. He reached a hand out to her face, cupping her cheek to wipe off the red trickling stain. Once he did, he jumped back a little. The blood was still warm!

He held her firmly with the massive hand, feeling along her neck. He could feel her heartbeat underneath her skin, but it was going very slowly. Somehow she survived the fall. It was a miracle. It was even more a miracle that he'd stumbled across her.

"Hey, can yeh hear me?" he whispered.

For a moment, nothing happened. He just watched and waited. Then her eyes began to flutter. They didn't open, however. It was enough to let Hagrid know that she could hear him.

"I'm gonna git yeh some help. This migh' hurt a little." He said as he pulled part of the carriage apart enough to be able to open it. He reached inside and as carefully as he could, he pulled her out.

She made a gasping sound as he moved her, which made him wince. Even though she seemed out of it, she looked in pain. It made him a little worried about touching her, but he had no choice. He had to get her some help. There was only place he could think of right now, and that was back to Hogwarts. From there someone could take her to St. Mungo's.

He took a good look at her as they headed back to somewhere where he could get himself back to Hogwarts quickly and easily. He couldn't put his fingers on it, but something was odd about the girl. She looked human enough . . . still . . . there was some quality that wasn't. It didn't matter. He'd get her to safety. The rest could be figured out later.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two:**

_Waking the Drageni_

It had been a month since Hagrid brought the young woman back to Hogwarts. For a few days, Dumbledore took her to St. Mungo's and kept her very well protected. After they patched her up as much as possible, he carefully brought her back to Hogwarts. The entire time, the young woman remained unconscious.

Once they arrived back at Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey watched over the girl in the hospital wing. There wasn't much for the nurse to do other than keep an eye out. Even the healers at St. Mungo noted her rapid self healing. They came to the conclusion that she was in a healing sleep of some sort.

Over the weeks of waiting, several members of the staff that remained at the castle during break came to pay a visit, out of curiosity. Much like Hagrid, the other professors agreed that there was some inhuman quality to the girl. Only Dumbledore seemed to have some inkling as to what the girl was.

"In due time, I will tell you." He said, quietly whenever someone asked, "For now, we will watch over her and wait."

At around the fifth of July, she showed signs of waking. Madam Pomfrey told Professor Dumbledore immediately, who in turned made an appearance in the ward. He took a seat beside the bed, waiting patiently for her to finally wake.

Her eyes fluttered wildly for a moment, then shot open. The girl's eyes focused on the ceiling for a moment. Her eyes were darker than night with speckles of stars within. However, after closing them and reopening, they appeared a soft, chocolate brown.

She looked around the room, confused. Slowly, she tried to sit up.

"I believe you shouldn't do that. Madam Pomfrey will be rather upset if you do." Dumbledore said with a soothing voice.

The girl jumped, darting her eyes to him. She raised a brow, backing up ever so slowly in the narrow bed. Dumbledore raised his hands, giving her a gesture to calm down and that it was safe. It took a moment and another slightly frantic look around before she decided she was safe. Even then, her guard stayed up somewhat.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." He kept his voice as gentle and soft as he could to make her feel a little more comfortable. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm the head master here."

Her eyes went wide in recognition. Dumbledore smiled at this.

"I see that you've heard of me." He said with a small chuckle.

The girl nodded once, letting her guard fall just a little. She swallowed hard a few times as she stared at him with confusion. He knew what question haunted her eyes.

"You were found in the Misty woods inside a crashed carriage about a month ago."

Her look turned thoughtful for a moment as though trying to remember. Suddenly, she gasped sadly and placed her hand over her eyes. The girl made a soft whimpering sound. Dumbledore reached out to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

Deciding that this conversation might be too traumatic at the moment, he changed tactics. He and the staff needed to know more about this woman.

"What is your name?"

She let out a shaky sigh, then pulled her hand from her eyes to look at him. There were no tears, just sadness that seemed to move deep in the depths of her soul.

"I'm Tyla. Tyla Knight."

Her voice was warm and oddly melodic. She spoke with an American accent which caught him by surprise.

"You're American?" he asked to make sure.

"Yeah." She answered, nodding too. "I was here on my marriage pilgrimage . . . " her look turned frantic again, "Was anyone with me when I was found?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

She whimpered again, closing her eyes tightly. Her hands balled up into tight and shaking fists while her breathing became ragged. Her nostrils flared for a moment as she snorted loudly once. For a second, she shook under the headmaster's hand, then calmed down ever so slightly.

"Sorry . . . " she muttered

"Nothing to apologize for. You're the calmest of your kind I have ever seen."

Her eyes opened and turned to him with shock. Her soft brown lips parted in surprise.

"You know what I am?" she questioned him with wide eyes.

He simply smiled slightly with a nod, though the smile was almost lost under his long beard. Tyla could tell from his eyes. They twinkled at her.

"Wow, um, I'm impressed. So much for my kind's adaptability. Either that, or you're really good." She said in a sad tone

"Well, I'm not headmaster without just cause." His voice had a hint of playfulness to it, "You are not the first of the Drageni that I've come across in my life time."

He pulled his hand away and stood up. Dumbledore moved to the end of the table where a tea pot and two porcelain cups waiting.

"Can I offer you a cup of tea?"

Tyla forced a small smile. It was the most she could manage at the moment.

"Yeah, thanks."

Dumbledore fixed the two cups, then floated one to Tyla whose hand held out to grab it. Once it got a little closer, she grabbed it. Slowly she brought the drink to her lips, sipping. Her eyes closed as she savored the warm fluid, rolling it across her tongue.

"Good isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes . . . " she said, turning her eyes back to him as he moved back to his seat

The pair sat in silence for a moment as they sipped their tea. Tyla thought back to the night of the attack. The memory sent a cold shiver down her spine. What became of her mate she wondered? Perhaps, Dumbledore had answers. She figured she'd tell him what she recalled.

"We were on our pilgrimage to the old village beyond the mountain. The horses were acting odd. Ren, my mate . . . well, soon to be mate . . . stepped out of the carriage to check. When he couldn't figure out anything wrong, he started to come back in when there was a bright flash of light, then the sensation of falling. I didn't have any time to do anything, but scream."

Dumbledore listened intently to the story. When the girl finished, he sighed heavily.

"Drageni blood is very valuable to those who understand and can wield its magic. If someone had known about your marriage . . . "

"And now, Ren is missing . . . "

"The entire area has been searched. No one else was found."

Tyla frowned. The Drageni thought the days of witches and wizards hunting them down for their blood was over. Then she remembered the war of wizards happening now. The Drageni were carefully staying out of it. Most of them now lived with the muggles around the world, hiding. Obviously, someone wanted otherwise. Someone was out for blood . . .

"I have to go look for him." She said, trying to get out of the bed

Just then, Mrs. Pomfrey walked in, holding up a hand in warning.

"You will do no such thing! Lie down in that bed and rest."

Tyla snarled at the nurse who was unfazed by the patient. Instead, Madam Pomfrey came to the bed and pushed the girl back. Though Tyla was stronger and knew it, she allowed the nurse to move her. Anyone who had the guts to order around her kind had a lot of character.

"When Madam Pomfrey releases you, then you will be free to leave. However, at the moment, I believe that you would be safer here at Hogwarts."

Tyla sighed. She knew she was safe here. There had been plenty of stories about it in the past. Hogwarts is one of the safest places in their world. Still, she had to find her mate before . . . He could be anywhere by now. She couldn't help feeling defeated at the moment.

"I'll stay for a while. If I find out anything, though . . . "

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand." He said as he stood up. "I'll have a room prepared for you."

Once he was gone, Tyla closed her eyes tightly again. She could feel her scales pricking to be free and her teeth trying to elongate in her mouth. All the emotions running through her made it hard to keep it all under wraps, but somehow she managed it.

She wanted answers. She wanted revenge. Someone took Ren and tried to kill her. She'd find the person who did this if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

A few of the staff members had been waiting for Dumbledore outside the doors of the hospital wing, all staring at him with curiosity. He raised his eyebrows at them. Their curiosity turned to exasperation.

"Well?" Mrs. McGonagall said with frustration

"Well, what?" Dumbledore responded casually

"Are you going to tell us or not?"

"Her name is Tyla. She's Drageni."

A few gasps and wide-eyed stares later, he raised his hands to the small crowd of Hogwarts professors.

"As you might have guessed, she was attacked. I'm fairly sure her mate has been taken."

The group looked from one to the other. Everyone thought the same thing, but only McGonagall piped up.

"Albus, do you think that . . . ?" she said, her voice trailing off at the end.

"I think it is very possible that Voldemort had something to do with this. Very few wizards know how to use the blood of the Drageni. Even less are powerful enough to work with it. Unfortunately, I have very little doubt that Voldemort knows, and we know he's strong enough that he can."

This was a dark realization for all of them. A knowledgeable wizard could cause a great deal damage with spells and potions created through the use of that potent and powerful kind of blood. Voldemort would be unstoppable with that kind of fire power behind him.

Professor Flitwick looked up at Dumbledore with a hint of fear.

"Is the girl staying here then? It's much too dangerous to let her leave if someone is out for Drageni blood."

"She has already agreed." Dumbledore was still very calm and comforting with his speech as he answered

There was a moment of quiet reflection. McGonagall was next to speak.

"What will we do with her? We can't hide the poor girl indefinitely."

Sprout joined in on the conversation.

"She's much too old looking to be a student. No one would believe she's seventeen or eighteen."

By the look in Professor Dumbledore's eyes, they could all tell he had a plan in mind. They all watched him apprehensively. They trusted their head master with their lives, but sometimes he cooked up the most "interesting" plans. He smiled, which they all returned nervously.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: **

_Reflection_

The end of summer loomed on the horizon as July started its fade into August. Another year at Hogwarts was fast approaching, though in all honesty, Harry wasn't looking forward to it.

The beginning of summer had been hard. Memories of Sirus' death and the discovery of his destiny weighed heavily on him during those first weeks at number 4 Privet Drive. His godfather's demise particularly haunted him. Harry couldn't shake that it was all his fault. Many nights that realization reduced the boy to tears.

Every few days he sent correspondence to his friends, much to the Dursleys' chagrin. Despite the warnings of his friends, Uncle Vernon still threw quite a fit whenever an owl came to the house. However, Harry didn't let this bother him. Vernon had no choice in the matter now. The others would show up, and he knew his uncle wouldn't want that. Owls were better than having "freaks" knocking on his door.

Then, around July 27th, Ron, Ginny, and their parents came to take him back to the Burrow. He'd spent all the time he needed with his "family" for the spell of his mother's blood to protect him. So, the Weasleys came to take him home.

As usual, the Burrow was as animated as ever. Even through his funk, Harry had to smile at the hustle and bustle of the happy home that always welcomed him. Still, he kept to himself most of the time, hiding out in Ron's room.

Just a few days after arriving, the family threw him a small birthday party. He couldn't help feeling very warm inside. It was a welcome change to the cold hollowness that had filled him since the beginning of summer. Everyone who loved him showed up that night, baring gifts for the-boy-who-lived's sixteenth year. More than just gifts . . . they brought their love. Boy, did he need it right now.

However, it came to an end. It was late at night, but it came to an end. Now it was the first day of August. Another day closer to Hogwarts . . . another day closer to the final showdown with Voldemort, and potentially his death.

He thought to tell the others. Instead, he held the knowledge of the prophecy inside. One day, Harry knew he'd have to tell them and dreaded it. Ron, Hermonie, and the others would dare to step in to stand by his side. Just as they had in the past, they would be willing to risk their lives for Harry. The thought of their deaths on his conscience made him feel like he was going to lose his mind.

Harry closed his eyes tightly as he laid down in the grass out back. The warm summer breeze blew over him like a comforting touch. It gave him a little peace. He desperately needed some peace.

Soft steps tread on the grass, approaching Harry. Harry immediately felt his body tense, preparing and guarding himself right away. His hand moved toward his wand, fingers brushing against it lightly. If needed, he could grab it, but for now, he'd wait and see. He kept his body still as possible, pretending to sleep.

He could feel the heat of another body as the person knelt beside him. It was warm and comforting. Most importantly, the presence soothed him. His fingers slightly moved away from his wand as he opened an eye to see exactly who this mystery person was.

"Hello." He said with a slight croak to his voice

Ginny Weasely jumped in surprise. She had been sure that Harry had fallen asleep right there on the grass. She only intended to check and see, drop him the blanket she now clutched as some sort of shield, then go back inside. There was no reason to bother him, after all.

"Hi, Harry." She said with a smile, finally getting over the initial shock, "Having fun out here on the grass. You have to be careful in our backyard, you know. Fred and George were out here earlier."

Harry jumped slightly, lifting slightly off the ground, then turned his head just to check. He sighed with relief that nothing was there, but Ginny suddenly started to giggle.

"What?" he said with worry, "Am I spotty? Something worse?"

Ginny shook her head as she finished up her snickers. She cleared her throat twice then stretched out on the ground next to him, propping her head with her bent arm. Harry was taken aback by the sudden nearness, but didn't move himself. This was only Ginny, after all. What was there to be so shocked about?

"No," she said once she found herself a cozy spot, "You're just easy." She grinned at him.

Harry smirked, then sighed while turning his face back up to the night sky.

"Something interesting up there?" she asked without taking a look for herself.

He shrugged, not turning his face back to her. Nothing out of the ordinary stared back at him from the sky. Still it gave him a moment to just . . . be . . .

She kept her eye on him as he intently looked at the sky. The moon reflected in his round classes, blocking out the green gaze behind it. Ginny found that slightly disappointing, but ignored that. Instead she just focused on the way he intensely held his face as he watched the sky, moon, and stars.

"What do you see?" she asked quietly

That caught his attention. His face turned to hers. He slightly squinched his face in confusion. Ginny merely raised a brow, waiting for a response.

"Well . . . a few clouds, the moon, stars . . . " he said with a hint of confusion in his voice, "I thought I saw an owl not long ago."

She smiled at him, warmly. For the first time, Harry noticed the soft, feminine features of her face. The pale moon highlighted the delicate curves and dips of it. He'd gotten so used to thinking of her as Ron's sister that sometimes he completely forgot that she was, in actuality, just a girl. A pretty one at that.

Though, that thought truly hadn't hit him yet.

"That's not what I meant." She said finally, "There's more up there than just sky, you know. Thoughts and dreams are floating around up there. So, let me ask again. What do you see up there?"

Harry blinked a few times, then turned his face back to the sky. He watched the silver stained clouds pass the moon as the moon drifted aimlessly across the dark backdrop of night. After a moment or two, he sighed.

"I see something bigger than me." He whispered, but loud enough for her to hear, "I don't feel that important, but everyone seems to think I am. Everyone's eyes have been on me for so long . . . Even the Durselys kept a watch on me, though it was just to see if I did something wrong. At least, under the sky, I'm not any bigger than anyone else. Sort of muted by it, I guess."

He didn't turn back to Ginny, though he knew she was watching intently. He'd opened up to her more than he wanted. All that he said just slipped out without a second thought. Harry figured that he was just getting tired.

Ginny didn't speak again. For a while she watched him think. No doubt he felt awkward now. He never opened up unless he had to. This had to be a definite change of pace for him. Then, after growing weary of just staring, she rolled over to her back, then scooted a little closer to him. She could sense him tense up the closer she got, but she didn't care. Ginny simply moved next to him and turned her eyes on the sky.

Harry swallowed hard. He could feel the warmth of Ginny's body from this distance. He could smell her hair and . . . perfume? Whatever it was, she smelled like flowers and powder. Harry had to wonder if she always had this wonderful scent and he had never noticed. Immediately, he shook the thought off. That was an awkward train of thought.

He felt a slight touch at his hand. His eyes turned downward, noticing her hand moving closer to his. Ginny took note of his eyes, then took his hand without a second thought. Harry tried, for a moment or two, to figure out just how she thought that was an invitation. Then he realized how nice the gesture was. Instead of tensely holding her hand, he loosened up allowing his fingers to entwine with hers. He found it more comforting than the sky.

"Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"What do you see in the sky?"

She chuckled under her breath.

"It's secret. But if you're lucky, I might tell you some day."

"I'm not sure if that's fair." He mumbled as he frowned.

"Oh, believe me, it's not. That's the joy of being a girl. We're allowed a little mystery." She teased

"A little mystery, you say? Is that code for not making any sense? From what I've seen of you female types, I think that's the case."

* * *

Ron was about to come outside to check on Harry when he spotted his friend in the grass with Ginny. His brow furrowed as he crossed his arms, watching, not that he could see much from his position. He could barely make out the figures in the darkness. 

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's impolite to spy?" a voice called behind him in a tone that pricked at his nerves.

He turned around sharply to face Hermonie, staring him dead in the face with a cheery grin.

"I wasn't spying," he retorted, "I was just looking for Harry."

Her mouth formed an "o", but something told him that she didn't exactly believe his story. It was the truth, though.

"Well," she said, "as you can see, he's occupied at the moment."

Ron shrugged. She said that rather peculiarly. There was definitely something odd about it, but he decided to not ask. It seemed the safer thing to do. Then something struck him.

"And why exactly are you here, Hermonie?" he said, raising an accusatory brow.

She blushed ever so slightly then turned her face from him. For a moment, an awkward silence hung between them.

"I have my reasons." She said finally

"And they are?" he pried, which she didn't take very kindly

"Well, if you don't know by now, I'm not going to tell you." She said in a huff then stormed off

Ron threw his arms up in frustration. Hermonie never made sense to him and she never would in a million years. If she would just say what was on her mind, they would both be better off. He wasn't a bloody mind reader. Even if he was, he'd be too afraid to pick into Hermonie's mind. It was probably a confusing mess!

He turned his attention back to Harry and Ginny. Neither of them had moved. Both of their faces were turned to the sky while they sat together in silence. Heh, it must be night to have someone you can just spend a quiet moment with. If it had been he and Hermonie . . .

He shook his head. There was no reason he needed to get into that train of thought. He was just happy that Harry was finding some kind of peace. When he first got to the Burrow, Harry had been a wreck with the moping and the self-pity. Not that Ron didn't sympathize. It was hard for everybody right now, particularly Harry. It was just hard and frustrating to see him taking it so hard. Harry seemed to have taken the full weight of it all on his shoulders and it was breaking him down piece by piece.

A little quiet and a good friend were exactly what Harry Potter needed right now. Thanks to Ginny, he was getting just that.

Ron walked back inside once he was sure Hermione wasn't around. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her. He was just confused right now, and needed space. If only she made more sense . . .


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

_First Night_

The rest of the summer disappeared like a flash of light. For the most part, it had been uneventful except for the usual riff-raff. Ron and Hermione fought over the littlest things this time around, much to everyone else's annoyance. Eventually, George spoke out on it and called the pair an old married couple. For some reason, that shut both of them up in a hurry.

Harry, on the other hand, continued to spend some quiet time with Ginny. He found himself amazed at to how much he enjoyed simply being in the same room with her. All they ever really did was sit. Sometimes they would talk or play a game, but most of the time it was just the sound of each other's breathing. The best part was how comfortable it was.

Now, though, those lazy summer days were over. Already, Harry, Ginny, Hermonie, and Ron were on the Hogwart's Express. Ron and Hermione made prefect again which caused them to move in and out of the car all trip. This year, Harry wasn't bothered by it in the least. He'd had enough responsibility to last a lifetime. Not only that, the biggest responsibility of all was yet to come. The final battle.

He had to immediately purge that thought. This single thought kept him from being the best friend he could be to the others. All his emotions were bottled inside, bubbling, too. The pain of these emotions had him cut off from those who loved him. He snapped at them when they attempted to get too close. The odd thing was that no matter how far he tried to push away, little Ginny Weasely kept maneuvering herself in. Harry had a hard time resisting.

"Harry, are you listening?"

A voice pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked a few times and shook his head. Other eyes in the car, belonging to Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, were fixed on him along with Ginny's. Each one had curious and concerned looks on them.

"Oh, sorry," he answered, "What was that?"

"We're almost there. We have to change." Ginny said

He raised his eyebrows then turned his head toward the window. He hadn't even realized that it became night.

"Alright." He turned to her with a small smile

* * *

"People told me that sometimes you can be a mad man. I'm starting to think they're right." Tyla said with crossed arms on the way to the feast

Dumbledore responded with a chuckle which made Tyla more nervous than she already was. This wasn't going to work. They may have spent time showing her how to do this, and yes, her people were adaptable, but she lacked confidence.

She looked up at him, waiting for a real answer from him. He smiled down at her with those twinkling eyes that were forever on the edge of mischief.

"Tyla, when I came to you with this idea, I thought of whether or not it could be managed. I believe it can. What you've shown us in the last few weeks, I am more than confident in your abilities."

Tyla turned slightly pink. She never took compliments well, he'd discovered.

"I'll try not to let you down." She grumbled nervously, then rubbed her hands nervously

He just chuckled again while the pair continued down the castle corridor.

* * *

This year, the sight of the Gryffindor table made Harry feel apprehensive. Another school year in close quarters with everyone. He was already on edge. What would this do to him?

"Come on, Harry!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, obviously hungry as always

"Really, Ron, don't you think of anything else other than food?" Hermione asked as she walked up beside the pair

Ron stared at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"There's something other than food?" he asked with confusion, "Come on, you two, I'm starved!"

The trio headed for the table and took their seat just as the Sorting Hat sung its yearly song. Neville sat across from them, flanked with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Dean's face practically started to glow when Ginny came to sit nearby. Ginny greeted him happily as she took a spot next to Harry.

"Wonder who's going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year." He heard someone say darkly

It was a good question. There was a lot of catching up to do this year after that Umbridge woman ruined everything.

"Look. The Slytherin table looks half empty." A voice said

"I reckon that their parents are running scared."

"I see that Malfoy and his lackies are still here, though."

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table only to find Draco Malfoy with his head slightly turned in Harry's direction. Draco's eyes were half lowered in anger as he stared at his nemesis at the Gryffindor table. Harry knew that this year, he'd have to watch his back more than ususal.

"Is it just me or does everything feel like doom and gloom this year?"

Harry really wanted to ignore it all, but couldn't. He listened to the various conversations around him, feeling more and more queasy by the moment.

"Me mum almost didn't let me come back." He heard Seamus say, just as he had last year

"I don't see why. We're safer here than anywhere else." Ginny responded sharply

That caught his attention. Harry turned his head to Seamus with a tightly clenched jaw.

"Is it because of me, again?" he said, his voice on the edge of rising.

Seamus shook his head with a shocked expression.

"No, nothing like that. Everything else, is all." Seamus replied

Before Harry could say anything else, Hermione piped up.

"Dumbledore isn't here yet." She said sounding slightly worried.

A few eyes looked up to the table. Indeed, the professor wasn't at his usual spot with the staff. A few faces turned momentarily to each other before focusing on the table again. There was a new face at the table–a man who didn't appear more than thirty, with almost shoulder length chestnut hair and the biggest hazel eyes any of them had ever seen on anyone. The man wore deep grey robes with black embroidering in the front that very much suited his handsome face. He grinned as he discussed something with Professor McGonagall. His smile would have rivaled Gilderoy Lockhart's.

"Do you think he's the new Defense teacher?" Neville asked the group

The others made curious but noncommital sounds in regards to the question. They looked between the young man and McGonagall for a moment until the doors at the other end of the teacher's table opened.

"Hey, there's Dumbledore," Dean said, sounding relieved

Their eyes moved to the now opened doors where the tall, white-haired wizard appeared from. They watched as he moved toward the center of the table. He had a speech to make after all. However, the group found themselves unable to focus on their Head Master.

A woman walked in behind him. She was tall, fairly tall for a woman, anyway, wearing burgundy robes. She seemed to be rather young, too–not much older than thirty from the looks of it. She moved with a sort of grace that most could never achieve, with her long braids flowing with her during every movement. Her skin was a soft sort of brown that reminded Harry of a very creamy coffee. And there was something about her features that didn't seem completely human, but no one could place which features gave her that quality.

"Something's . . . odd about her, isn't it?" he heard Ron croak nearby

The others nodded. It was true. She seemed normal enough, but there was something . . .

The young woman sat next to Professor Snape, albeit hesitantly. She turned to him, giving him a small smile. Snape smirked in return. Her face turned from his with weariness in her eyes. Then, when she reached for the goblet in front of her, wrapping her long black nails around it, Snape coughed a few times. The young woman jumped, placing her hands underneath the table, just as Professor Dumbledore began to speak.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." He said to the young crowd before him, with arms raised, "As you know, dark times are looming on the horizon. I want each and every one of you to rest assured that within these walls, you will be safe. However, there are a few new rules in place this year, so do take note."

He told them of the new rules. New curfew times. Where people could and couldn't go during school hours. Hogsmeade trips were all but cancelled, but for good reason. There were groans from the students, especially the new third years, but everyone had understanding in their eyes. Oh, and of course:

"The Forbidden woods is--as it has been--forbidden." He said as his closer on the rules, gaining a few brief smiles from the older students, "Now, onto something a little happier. We have two new members of the staff, as you can see. First, we have Professor Andrew Beale, who has graciously taken the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Professor Beale gave the students a warm smile and a brief nod. Scattered applause filled the room.

"And Madam Tyla Knight who is taking up a special position here. She is training to be a professor so she will be assisting different classes during the year."

More scattered applause. Madam Knight looked down at hidden hands, then returned her eyes to the crowd of students with a small smile.

"Without further adieu, let us feast." Dumbledore announced and suddenly food appeared before them.

* * *

"There, there, dear. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Professor McGonagall asked Tyla post welcome feast as the older woman escorted her to her quarters

Tyla smiled at McGonagall timidly, then shook her head.

"It was alright. Tomorrow's the real test, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is."

Tyla sighed, then raised a brow.

"Do you think anyone will figure out what I am?"

The pair stopped outside a large, decorative door. The room beyond had been Tyla's home for the last few weeks. She'd grown quite fond of it in fact. It already felt like home.

Professor McGonagall stared at her over her glasses. Tyla shifted uncomfortably at the woman's scrutiny, scratching her temple with her black finger nail. Eventually, the Transfiguration teacher spoke.

"Not yet, but we'll get to Ms. Granger before that happens. Good night, Madam Knight."

Tyla sputtered with confusion for a moment as she watched McGonagall walk down the hall. What exactly was THAT supposed to mean? Who the hell was Granger? Oh . . . she knew. Professor Dumbledore had warned Tyla of young Mr. Potter and his friends, Mr. Weasely and Ms. Granger. That's where she'd heard the name. Now all she had to figure out was why anyone would want to tell the young girl anything. It didn't matter now. Tyla found herself stuffed and exhausted so it was time for bed.

* * *

"Something about Madam Knight is very familiar." Hermione muttered as everyone reached the Gryffindor's common room

Instead of immediately heading to their respective dormitories, everyone sat around the common room to relax by the fire to digest. After all, it had been two months since most had seen each other. It was nice to have a moment to catch up.

Eyes turned to Hermione with curiosity–all except Harry who was too busy staring at the fire to pay attention to everyone else. His mind focused on Sirius all of a sudden to the point it nearly broke him down. Maybe it had something to do with the fire. Part of him hoped that Sirius' head would suddenly appear, as it had often in the past. He only half listened to the conversation in the room.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked as she watched her best friend from the floor

"I don't know, honestly. I feel as though I might have read something this summer–"

"Not a big surprise." Ron interjected, but Hermione kept speaking as though he hadn't spoken

"But I read a lot this summer. I can't recall . . . something about the way she looks, really. I'll have to do some research."

"Must you ALWAYS be a busybody, Hermione." Ron asked with a groan

Immediately, Hermione's eyes blazed at him with hurt and anger. Not that Ron noticed.

"Must you always be an insensitive–" she started but got cut off by Dean.

"You two are always at it, aren't you? I'm not sure how Harry has put up with it so long." He sniggered at them

Seamus decided to jump in at that point.

"Really, you should just snog and get it over with."

Ron turned crimson and Hermione stared at Seamus as though he'd grown another head.

"I would never–!" she stared scandalized

"That's just–" Ron continued, making an undignified croaking sound in the process.

Everyone burst into laughter as the pair became so distraught over the very idea. Eventually, both stormed off as though thoroughly insulted, causing more of a riot in the common room. Once it all calmed down, those left behind decided to call it a night.

On the way up the stairs, Ginny noticed that Harry was still by the fire, lost in thought. She came back down and moved over to him.

"Harry?"

He jumped, then looked up at her. Ginny nearly gasped as she looked at the weariness and pain in his eyes. She actually took a step back before she spoke again.

"Harry, are you alright?"

His pride obviously got to him. That pained look turned to mild anger.

"I'm fine." He said, obviously suppressing his feelings

"Look, Harry, if there's a problem–"

"I said I'm fine."

"Is that why you're being such a prat all of a–" she said in a cool tone

"I'M FINE, GINNY!" he roared angrily

Ginny's eyes widened for only a moment, before they narrowed angrily.

"Oh, really? Good to know. I'm sorry that I bothered to be concerned about you, Harry." She practically hissed at him, then turned on a heel and headed for the stairs to her room.

He watched her go with clenched fists. He hadn't meant to be so cruel . . . it was just that he kept picturing Sirius falling through the veil so suddenly. Harry thought he'd started healing, but obviously he hadn't. And then he took it out on Ginny, who'd only tried to help. Shaking and distinctly disgusted with himself, Harry headed up to bed.


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N: Yet another story of mine that I haven't worked on in a while. Trying to change that, lol. Here's a update for anyone that actually reads this story. It's a bit on the brief side compared to the other chapters. I'm trying to get back into the feel of it. Hope you enjoy.**

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**Chapter Five**

_Lessons in Hidden Creatures_

Morning had come in a hurry. Or perhaps it only seemed that way to Harry. Sleep hadn't found him nearly as easily as it had his companions in the dorm. He sat in bed, staring at the drapes of it while listening to the "serene" sounds of sleep.

He'd been a jerk. Now that he'd had time to stew in his mistake overnight, he felt compelled to apologize. Harry had planned to do just that before breakfast, but when he reached the common room, others told him that Ginny had already left.

Wanting to catch up to her at breakfast before Ron, Hermione, or anyone else joined them, Harry made his way to the Great Hall at a fast pace, but not to fast as to look suspicious. A few minutes later, he stood in the doorway to the hall, searching the Gryffindor table with his eyes. As soon as he spotted long red hair, he moved closer while trying to think of the right things to say. Nothing really came to mind. For some reason he was a little too nervous to think.

At six people away from Ginny's slightly turned body, someone sat in the empty seat beside her. Dean Thomas place his open palm against her back as he took his spot next to the redhead. Her face looked up to her companion with a sweet smile that made Harry swallow hard. A bitter taste had risen in his throat as he watched them for some reason. It was like something fell into his stomach, too, or that it fell straight away.

Harry started backing before the pair could notice him staring. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his shoulders. He froze.

"Hey, Harry, heard you ran off." Ron said loud enough to get the attention of people nearby.

Ginny turned to the sound of her brother's voice. She gave her brother a brief smile. Harry got only a mildly dismissive look before turning back to Dean, all smiles. Again, Harry felt an unexplainably dull ache in his gut.

"Morning, Ron." He sighed while the redheaded young man dragged her to a trio of empty seats, "Where's Hermione?"

Ron turned red around the ears as he shrugged. For some reason, he couldn't look in Harry's eyes. Instead, Ron began grabbing food around him, piling up quite a plate of eggs and sausage. Confused green eyes stared confusedly at the boy before accidentally darting attention to Ginny again. The girl hadn't seen, but Dean raised a brow at him. Harry quickly turned away and started gathering breakfast for himself.

Harry and Ron ate their breakfast silently, both staring off in the distance blankly as though lost in thought. The oddly stunned silence was shaken as Hermione came up behind them. Both boys jumped then turned to her, which caused her an equal look as she clutched the pile of books in her arms.

"Morning." Harry said

It seemed lost on her. Her attention focused on Ron. For some reason, her face looked paler than usual. Ron, in turn, resembled a fish-out-of-water look.

Breaking free from each other, Ron turned to his meal while Hermione took her place at the table. She started to take the empty spot beside Ron, but hesitated at the last moment. Standing again, she gestured for Harry to slide down the bench. He obliged, of course, though he didn't see the point.

"Morning." She mumbled finally, after setting the books on the table

"What's with all the books?" Ron asked as a piece of toast shoved into his mouth.

"Research." She slid the books away so she could place some breakfast foods on her plate, "Trying to figure out what it is about that new teacher. I know it's something."

"You know, I was thinking about that last night before I fell asleep." Ron said leaning over Harry slightly

Harry smirked, "You mean, the three minutes between the time your head hit the pillow and you began snoring loud enough to wake the dead?"

Ron shot Harry an astounded, annoyed look.

"Bugger off!" he said sounding just as annoyed as he looked, "Anyway, I was thinking about it and I've come up with something."

It was Hermione's turn to smirk, "Oh?"

Ignoring all the disbelief, Ron pressed on. "Drageni."

Harry, of course, had never heard of anything by that name. Hermione had. She scoffed at the thought.

"Really, Ron," she started dismissively, "That's daft. First of all, Drageni stay out of the wizarding world now because of how dangerous they are."

"What's a Drageni?" Harry asked, looking between the pair.

Hermione searched her pile of books. In the end, she plucked "Hidden Creatures of History" from them.

"They're not a 'what', Harry, they're a 'who.'" she said as she turned the pages hurriedly

Ron decided that she was taking far too long to find the information in the book. He caught Harry's attention away from her.

"Drageni, well, they're a curse race, I reckon. Half-human, half-dragon, all deadly. They just have a feel about them, I heard. Like they give off weird energies. And they're some of the most powerful creatures out there."

"Deadly, though?" Harry asked, "Why would Dumbledore allow a dangerous creature to become a teacher here?"

Ron shrugged. Dumbledore always had reasons for his actions, but sometimes he baffled everyone around him.

Hermione pushed the book closer to Harry, placing it in the middle of the three of them. Harry shuddered as he looked at the picture of the creature beneath the Drageni heading. Something about it reminded him of Voldemort which naturally made him uncomfortable. As Hermione read the text following the picture, he managed to tear himself away from the sketch.

"Drageni are a cursed race of humans. Over 1,000 years ago a powerful wizard resided in a small, unknown village of the Misty Mountains. The villagers hunted the dragons of the mountain to near extinction out of fear and for entertainment, which angered the wizard as he was a dragon tamer. During a festivity surrounding the death of a dragon, the wizard placed them under a curse, forever bounding them with the soul of dragons. The curse forced their bodies to change into something similar to a humanized dragon: scales the length of their bodies, sharp teeth, and eyes that no human can mistake for human. "

Harry frowned, "But she doesn't look like a dragon."

"No, mate," Ron spoke up, "They stopped looking like dragons once they learned to use the other part of the curse."

Hermione, cross from being cut off, cleared her throat. Once the pair quieted down, she continued reading.

"The curse had another side to it, however. Though they looked like dragons, they had gained a piece of power from the creatures they became. In time, they gained the ability to harness their powers. Instead of forever appearing as dragons, they learned to manipulate their features so that they shape shift between human and Drageni form. However, the transformation is not perfect. Often the Drageni cannot hide their finger or toe nails which remain black at all times."

"So why are there not more of them?" Harry asked, staring between the two experts on the subject.

As Hermione began to answer, Ron jumped in to do the same. "The Drageni are really powerful physically and magically. Their blood used in spells heightens a spell at least tenfold."

"Here it says one hundred times." Hermione, still annoyed, pointed out in the book

"Well, one hundred times then--it doesn't matter. A wizard with Drageni blood at their disposal is unstoppable. So, a long time ago, the Drageni hid themselves from the wizarding world and hid out in the human world."

"Yes, they did. Right here it says that the Drageni are highly adaptable to their surroundings. It's nearly impossible to distinguish them between someone who is a tourist and a local. They learn that quickly."

"That's why there aren't any Drageni around here, then." Harry said more to himself than to the others.

"Yeah. Wicked that we probably have one at our school!"

"We can't tell anyone though. If the Slytherins tell V-Voldemort–come on, Ron, you have to stop wincing like that–Ms. Knight is as good as dead . . . and so are the rest of us."

Harry sighed heavily. That made sense why Dumbledore allowed the woman here, but he didn't feel any safer. In fact, it seemed so dangerous. Yes, Hogwarts is probably the best place to be . . . the securest place, but . . .

"But, that's if that's what she is." Hermione added quickly, "I'll continue looking into it."

Ron gapped at her, "You know that's what she is! You're just upset because I figured it out first."

She huffed, standing up. She gathered her books in her arms.

"I can't research in these conditions. I'll catch up to you guys later."

Before either boy could stop her, Hermione stormed out of the Great Hall in a blur of bushy hair. Harry looked to Ron, who suddenly looked pleased with himself. And again, Harry found himself looking over Ron's shoulder to Ginny. That annoying dullness overwhelmed him for a moment.

Ginny and Dean stood up together, both smiling and laughing. Harry had half a mind to stop them, but they managed to slip out before he could gain the courage.

"Isn't it almost time for classes?" Harry asked dully

"Mhm" Ron pulled his schedule from his pocket, "What's this? Double Muggle Studies?" he frowned, "When did they start offering that?"

Harry shrugged, still facing in the direction Ginny and Dean exited the Hall. In honesty, he hadn't even heard his friend.

"Where are you off to, Harry?" Ron asked, then gave Harry a good shove, "Hey, are you alright?"

Harry jumped slightly, turning back to Ron, "Hm? Yeah, I'm alright."

"Well, where are you off too then?"

"Oh. Uh, double Defense Against the Dark Arts."

That livened Harry a tiny bit. His OWLs results were wonderful enough that he could begin his Auror training. When he discovered this, his summer brightened briefly. Then he thought of how proud Siris would have been and the minor victory became hollow.

"Alright then, mate, I'll see you when we change classes." Ron said, patting Harry on the back, then left for class.

Harry sat in his spot a few moments longer. Part of him figured he was just worried about this "Drageni" situation and the reasoning behind it. But a little part of him was more concerned with the fact that Ginny Weasely wouldn't talk to him and the sinking feeling that gave him.


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Many thanks to those who have read this story. It's nice to know that it's not totally for my own benefit, though even that wouldn't have stopped me. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Oh yeah, I guess I should throw in a disclaimer thing. Obviously, if this is a fan fiction, I don't own it.

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**Chapter Six**

_DADA and the New Professors_

"Welcome, first years, to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

When Professor Beale uttered those words, Tyla assessed the man's total incompetence. Wonderful idea of the other professors starting her with him. What a better way to introduce the new teacher and the floating substitute than to have them in the same class room, they'd said. Perhaps sitting in the hallway pulling her toenail out would have been better. At least it would have been more intelligent.

She let out the breath she'd been holding as she closed her eyes. It was better than watching the sixth year NEWT students looking around with confusion. Tyla felt embarrassed having to associate with Beale now.

"Professor," she said, forcing the mounting aggravation out voice as best she could, "These are your Advanced NEWT students, sir."

He frowned at Tyla then looked at students in the room. Beale's eyes scanned the crowd, still frowning. A few moments later, his attention turned back to the substitute.

"Are you sure? They look like little kids." He looked at the students, "Scrawny lot, aren't they?"

She couldn't begin to dignify that with an answer. Instead, she forced a polite smile and picked up a scroll from his desk.

"Shall I call roll for you, sir?"

He waved his hand dismissively, giving her the ok. It took serious effort to keep herself from rolling her eyes. How many more hours did she have with this man? She wasn't sure except for the fact that it was far too many.

She unrolled the parchment as Professor Beale sat on his desk at head of class. Her eyes moved through the desks lined up against the walls, leaving the center of the room open. Perhaps for lecture? She wasn't entirely sure. Beale didn't strike her as the lecture type. Too disorganized for that, judging by the way he dressed and behaved.

"Ader, Richard." A young man toward the back of the room raised his hand. She nodded in response.

The wonderful thing about being Drageni was that she would always remember a name and face. Part of adaption was memorization for her kind. In only days, she'd pick up every student's name, age, mannerism, definitive trait . . . For some reason, she found that amusing.

She continued down the list, naming and remembering names with faces. One name stood out among them for her. Draco Malfoy. She found his name humorous, considering what she was. Not only that, it was a very strange name to her. After all, Tyla was raised muggle in America. People had peculiar names back home from time to time, but nothing as off the wall as "Draco."

The boy seemed pretty angry when she laughed through part of his name. Tyla tried her best to swallow the chuckle rising in her throat, to no avail.

"Potter, Harry." She said, looking up to see the young boy with the rounded glasses.

He was watching her expectantly, like he expected more. She raised her brows slightly, then continued down the list to the last two students.

* * *

Harry had filled with dread as the woman read down the list. Every new teacher knew exactly who Harry Potter was and made note of in class. When she reached his name, he knew any moment she'd have a shocked look on her face. He braced himself for her reaction. 

And felt a prick of disappointment as she passed his name by as though he were just another student. Logically, that should have pleased him to have no special treatment. Maybe it wasn't disappointment so much as surprise. Even Professor Beale sat up straighter as she said his name. Madam Tyla didn't seem phased.

Of course, this pleased Malfoy, who gave Harry his classic smirk. Harry simply rolled his eyes, focusing his attention to the front of the class. All in all, Harry made out better. At least HE didn't have his name laughed at.

"That's everyone." Madam Tyla said to the professor, who shrugged

"What's this, ten people on Monday's? Small class. That's good." The tall man stood from his desk, "So, this is the NEWT level class? Interesting." He gave them all the eye, "NEWTs . . . Yes, this class will be pretty hard, then. I hope you all are ready to put in some effort." Beale rubbed his fingers together vigorously.

Something told Harry that this man had no clue what he was doing. Perhaps, the supply of teachers had run out for Hogwarts, and Beale was all they could get. However, a rock would have a better chance of successfully instructing DADA.

"I'm Professor Beale." He gestured to the board with his wand and his name appeared, "And this is . . . um . . . Tina Knight."

"That's Tyla." The woman said with a slight hiss in her voice.

"I know, that's what I just said." Beale sighed then rolled his eyes, "I swear, girl, you're just a little slow."

Harry thought that poor Professor Beale was about to die. Madam Knight's fingers twitched then clenched as she gave a glare of death. Beale seemed happily oblivious.

"So, it's the first day. I suppose I should take roll, shouldn't I?" He said as though it were genius while reaching for the parchment.

Madam Knight's eyes narrowed at the professor, "We did that already . . . sir." She said curtly

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch. Really, girl, how do you ever expect to be a real professor and not just a substitute?"

Suddenly, Harry had the desire to hex Professor Beale. Judging by the looks on the faces of his non-Slytherin classmates, he wasn't alone.

Madam Knight chuckled, but it sounded more like a snarl, as she took a seat at the nearest desk. She moved her hands behind her and allowed her violet robes to hang behind the desk, exposing leather-clad legs, which she crossed, shaking the top on back and forth.

"Sorry, sir. Why don't you just go ahead, and I'll be quiet so that I can learn from your wisdom?" she said with a hint of sarcasm that was no doubt lost on Beale.

Professor Beale smoothed his hands down his shining green robes as he picked up the parchment with his list of students.

"Right then, I'll get to it as you suggest, Madam Knight." He unrolled the parchment, "Ader, Richard!"

* * *

By the time class neared its ended, Tyla wasn't sure she could reign her temper much longer. Professor Beale repeated the roll three more times then gave the students six scrolls of notes, promising for action the next day. Yeah, right. Advanced DADA didn't have another session until Thursday. The rest of the week, these students had class with the regular NEWT class. 

She felt sorry for these students. They were getting the short end of the stick having such a. . . . a. . . . She didn't even have words for Beale's level of incompetence. It was about to be a long year for them. And hopefully, she'd never have to sit in with Beale again. Surely, she would hurt him next time.

"Alright, students, I'll see you tomorrow." Professor Beale said as he set his magazine, "Wicked Witches Weekly," which he hid in a text book, on the table. "Oh, yeah, um . . . do some homework. Write a three-scroll essay by next class. That sounds good."

The students tried to suppress their groans. As they gathered their things, and Professor Beale turned his back, Tyla shook her head, mouthing that they didn't have to worry about the homework. That rewarded her with brightly smiling faces as they headed from class.

"Er, Pooter? Harry Pooter, where are you?" the professor said from behind his book.

"That's Potter, sir." The raven-haired boy said as he looked up.

"That's what I just said." Beale countered exasperatedly, "Can people not hear around here? Honestly!"

Tyla's jaw clenched so tight that it probably looked like it was about to break from an outsider's perspective. Unable to take much more, she left the room while Harry moved closer to the professor–if he could be called that.

She could hear them talking as she moved down the hallway. As a rule, she tried her best not to eavesdrop. This time, however, it was particularly hard to ignore. Beale asked him something about having had a DADA club the year before. Her curiosity piqued at the question, but before she could concentrate on hearing further, Draco Malfoy approached her.

"Madam Knight," the boy hissed at her, threateningly, "I have no idea what you're getting at, but you'd better start showing me some respect. Do you know how I am?"

She nodded blankly to Malfoy as pieces of Beale's conversation leaked through the blonde boy's words. Her stomach tensed suddenly as the feel of rising magic filled the air. She kept up her blank responses as the other conversation turned darker. The Potter kid sounded nervous, and she couldn't blame him.

"Are you listening, you American–" Malfoy growled

"Yes . . . " she said, turning her attention down the hall.

In the distance, she heard Harry moving through the classroom. Both heartbeats of the males sped up. She smelled fear on the air. Licking her lips, her breath kicked up but shallowed. She hunched over as though ready to attack.

"_Expelliarmus_." Beale laughed darkly at the boy; Tyla frowned, ready to run.

Her breath froze as Beale hissed something unthinkable.

"_Crucio_!"

Without hesitation, Tyla ran down the hall, pulling her wand from her robes. By the time she'd reached the midpoint, she heard Harry Potter's screams fill the hallway. She could taste his fear and anger on the air as she reached the room.

"_Expelliarmus_!" she yelled, pointing her wand at Beale.

The wizard's wand flew into the air. He looked at her briefly with hate-filled eyes. They were no longer the eyes of a bumbling professor. They were the eyes of a possessed man, glowing red.

"_Stupify_." She followed with, stunning the teacher until he fell to the ground.

She moved quickly to Harry, who now looked sweaty and pale thanks to the Unforgivable Curse performed on him. Tyla almost feared moving the boy because of the torturous pain that recently flowed through him. However, she didn't have much time to act. She began scooping him into her arms.

"_Accio _wand!" Beale said behind her.

No! She figured she'd have more time than that. Partially dropping Potter, she turned to stun Beale again, but Beale was faster. He used a Blaster charm to send her flying backward into a wall. With a growl, she landed to the ground, the air blown out of her for the moment.

Beale sealed the door with a spell, then laughed at the pair who could no longer move. He repeated his earlier spell on Harry. The boy writhe around on the floor, screaming. That snapped Tyla out of her daze enough to move. That only served to catch Beale's attention.

"_Diffindo_!" he yelled at her, slicing into her skin at the cheek, then did the same for Harry, "_Petrificus totalus_"

Tyla couldn't move her body thanks to the spell. That wouldn't do. She summoned all the natural magic within her to fight off the spell.

Beale grabbed Harry by the collar, dragging him across the classroom floor until he reached Tyla.

"My master will pay me handsomely for this. The thorn in his side, and another dragon pet. I'm about to be very lucky."

Tyla couldn't see, but she heard Harry twisting his aching body enough to kick Beale hard. The man stumbled backward, falling to the ground, losing his wand. Harry took the opportunity to blast Beale further back. The man hissed one final time before vanishing.

Harry gasped. It was impossible for someone to apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts, so where did he go? He looked around, wand ready to defend himself and the teacher who came to save him. There was movement behind him. Harry turned to see Madam Knight free herself from the spell without its counter spell.

"He's still here." She gasped as though relearning to breathe, "I smell him."

Harry stiffened. Perhaps that Drageni thing wasn't far off. Right now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was–

He heard a buzzing behind him. Frowning, he looked around the room, spotting nothing.

"_Accio _wand!" Beale said above him, on the ceiling

Before Harry could stop the man, he was blasted into the wall closest to Madam Knight, then landing on top of her hard.

"Next time, I suppose." Beale said wistfully, "_Accio _broom." His broom stick whizzed to him, "You'll both belong to the Master soon enough." He climbed on his broom and made his way through the open window.

The boy landing on her definitely bruised her, but at least they were both alive. If he wasn't hurt, she would have gone after Beale, but right now, she felt obligated to take care of him until someone arrived. Where WAS everyone, anyway? Someone should have made their way through the spell blocking the door by now . . .

"Harry . . . " she whispered as she rolled him off of her, "Can you hear me?"

He murmured something low that she couldn't hear. She crawled above him to listen better.

"You'll be alright." She said to him gently but with anger in the back of her voice.

The wound on his face was very deep as she was sure hers was. The pain didn't bother her, but she knew that the wizard child's face was on fire. Her eyes became lazy, focused, as her mouth moved closer to the pool of blood. With her tongue, she cleaned the wound. The saliva had numbing and cleaning properties, just like most of the females of her species. When she moved back, a drop or two of her blood dripped to his lips, though she did not realize. She was too focused on the taste of fresh blood rolling on her tongue. It was an uncommon treat which she decided to savor.

In the haziness of near unconsciousness, Harry felt something warm and wet fall on his mouth. Without thinking, he licked his lips. It was an oddly metallic taste, salty but sweet. The flavor of it stayed with him like a treasured treat. It warmed through him, causing a smile to spread on his lips.

His eyes fluttered open. Madam Knight's eyes watched him with a snake's fascination. His own eyes drooped lazily at her. Why did he feel so good all of a sudden? It reminded him of being wrapped completely in caring arms or a thick blanket on a cold day.

But that pleasure bled away to pain. Suddenly his chest felt tight as though he couldn't breathe, and his skin burned. His eyes widened with shock. Madam Knight's eyes mimicked his. And despite that, he watched her closely, like he wanted to see down to the very depth of her.

Her eyes became drowning pools of black with pinpoints of lights scattered across them.

...His eyes became drowning pools of emerald, swirling, calling someone into his soul.

Her body began to glow faintly. That glowing reached to him, grabbing at his spirit.

...His body began to glow faintly. That glow wrapped around her, pulling her spirit closer.

He screamed as pain clutched him while whatever lived within her rushed through him.

...She screamed as pain clutched her while whatever lived within him pulled at her yet resisted her.

He felt fused with her, and she felt fused with him. Neither could move, just watched the other with growing fear and confusion. Others were almost through the door, calling for them, but neither spoke. Something happened, and whatever it was, it was dangerous.

Exhaustion crept up to him. Whatever happened wiped him of everything he had. Gasping, he closed his eyes and allowed darkness to encompass him.

Tyla roared as the dragon within felt trapped suddenly. For the first time, she felt the confines of skin. He'd done something to capture her. Her first response was to kill him for it, but she didn't. Instead she clawed at his chest as he slept. Watching the blood well made her shiver. She had to mark him. Why?

Exhaustion took its toll on her finally. Unable to move, she collapsed on little Harry Potter. Her ear pressed against his chest allowing her to truly hear his heartbeat. The sound was soothing, lulling her to join him in sleep.

As sleep wrapped around her, and as the steady rhythm of Harry's heart pushed her closer to unconsciousness, she heard the door shatter. People called out to her, but she couldn't answer so close to peaceful blackness. The last thing she remembered before finally submitting to sleep was thinking about how screwed up everything just became. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

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**A/N2: Okay, in case you're worried, this is not about to turn into a romantic situation. What I have in mind is a little more interesting (at least in my opinion). **

**Hah, I feel kind of bad. Andrew Beale is supposed to be based on my fiancee. No worries, he's not that crazy (well, not in a bad way. He's crazy in a good way.**

**Oh, I wasn't sure about the Diffindo spell being used to cut people and not just objects. If not, my apologies!**

**Anyway, I'll try to update fairly soon. Review if you wanna. I like those a lot...If anyone ever gets a chance to read this, lol.**


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N: This chapter was pretty fun to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.**

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**Chapter Seven**

_Serpent's Blood_

He woke up with eyes fluttering weakly as though they were unwilling to open for him. With a conscious struggle, he managed to force them to respond. Immediately, he regretted it. Light hit his eyes suddenly, making them feel as though they might explode. His brain felt swollen in his skull as it was. Having his eyes hurting hadn't helped any.

It took some time for the ache to subside. His eyes focused on the world around him, slowly. The recognition of where he was processed slowly. The feel of cool sheets and the smell of a hospital wafted to his nose. Damn, what had happened to have him sent to the hospital ward?

Memories flooded him suddenly. Beale. DADA. Being attacked. The taste of blood. They came at him with devastating speed. He couldn't catch his breath, it moved so fast. His hand felt heavy as it moved to his chest, as though that would help. It wouldn't, at least not if he couldn't pull whatever it was tight at his throat. Struggling, he grabbed his tie and loosened it. His throat offered his lungs more air. Harry let out a relieved sound.

Something caught his attention. Not through a sound or movement, just because. It was like something persistently tugged him, though nothing was nearby. He turned his head in the direction of the pull.

She sat in silhouette. The brightness of the sun hid her body enough to make her hard to see, but Harry could tell that she was watching him. He could make out that much. She sat with unnatural stillness, like a mannequin . . . or if she moved something would be frightened off.

He couldn't speak. Even if he could, he wasn't sure of what he would have said to her. Something as simple as "are you alright?" was lost to him, for now.

Harry felt uncomfortable thanks to Madam Knight's gaze. He couldn't really see it. He could feel it. Her anger scented the air, and her fear. She was afraid of him? That seemed silly, yet it didn't. Something had gone wrong, but he had no idea of what. All he knew was that he could hear his heart thud in his ears loudly . . . and soon, the sound became double, in harmony.

"Oh, Harry! Thank goodness you're alright!"

A familiar voice pulled him from his near trance. With wide, blurred eyes, he turned to Hermione's concerned face.

"Hermione?" blinking hard, he reached for his glasses, "Hey, yeah . . . I'm alright . . . "

As he put his glasses on, he couldn't help looking over to Madam Knight. However, she no longer watched him. In fact, her back was turned and her feet were on the floor. He looked back to Hermione, and the others who appeared behind her, with a tired, reassuring smile.

"You gave us a scare there, Harry." Ginny pipped up, offering him her own reassuring grin.

"Sorry." He said, swallowing hard. He was so happy to see her smiling at him again, it made him feel a little light headed.

"I knew that Beale guy was no good," Ron suddenly grumbled, "Something about his hair."

Hermione gave him a strange look.

"His hair?"

"Yeah!" Ron nodded, then began making gestures with his hand, "It was all, you know, poofed out and crazed like a mad man!"

Hermione rolled her eyes then focused her attention on Harry. He blushed when he noticed that she caught him staring at Ginny just a little too long to be normal.

"Er . . . " was all she said

"I can't believe it. His first day on the job and he turned out to be a Voldemort lackie. That's DADA teachers for you." Ginny said with a huff

Everyone turned to her with surprise. Harry had a twinge of some sort of pride that she'd said that bastard's name out loud. She didn't seem to have noticed that she'd done something moderately special. He smiled at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Ahem," everyone jumped as Dumbledore appeared behind the group, "As you can see Harry is well enough. Madam Pomfrey has already agreed to release him shortly." Everyone looked excited, "However, before I can allow that, I must speak to him in private. So, if you'll excuse us . . . "

Harry sighed inwardly. After the end of last year, he had very little desire to hear what the headmaster had to say. At least, not about this incident. In the back of Harry's mind, he could already feel the older man withholding something important.

"We'll see you soon, Harry." Ron said; the others waved their goodbyes.

Once the room cleared, Dumbledore turned his attention to the woman in the neighboring bed.

"Tyla, if you will." He gestured for her to join them.

Hesitantly, she nodded to the professor. Slowly, she stood and moved closer to Harry's bed. Harry sat up, offering her room to sit. Her eyes narrowed at him briefly before taking the offered spot. An overwhelming urge to touch her washed over him as she bumped into his leg. He watched her shiver, then looked to him. Harry knew that she'd felt a similar sensation. How? He wasn't sure.

"Ah . . . I see that it is true then." Dumbledore said dismally.

Harry's breath caught. He didn't like the tone the old man said that. It definitely couldn't be a good sign for anyone involved.

"What's true, Professor?" Harry asked tentatively

Dumbledore sighed before speaking, "Before I answer that question, Harry, I feel that I must apologize. First of all, despite my better judgement, I did not assign anyone from the Order to protect the school. I thought they would be better served recruiting for the war and protection elsewhere. Also, I am terribly sorry about Professor Beale. I would not have thought that someone so . . . "

"Imbecilic?" Madam Knight offered

"Yes, that covers it. I would have never thought he would be a part of any of Voldemort's plans. Our informant knew nothing of this plan, so we had no time to prepare."

Harry wasn't sure of how to feel about this right now. He was more concerned with this need to gain Madam Knight's attention. He couldn't help darting his attention to her long black braids. He wanted to twirl one around his finger idly. It took everything not to do so.

"I suppose I should move onto more pressing matters." He sighed again, "Let me begin by asking if you are aware what Madam Knight is."

Harry nodded slowly, but uncertainly, "Drageni, right?"

Dumbledore smiled, nodding in confirmation. "Our Ms. Granger certainly has an eye, doesn't she?"

"Actually, sir, it was Ron who figured it out."

Dumbledore's eyes widened with surprise. His smile grew.

"Impressive. At any rate, yes, Madam Knight is a Drageni. As you no doubt know, Drageni blood is very potent magic in its own right. However, something very special happens when blood is shared between a person and a Drageni. A bond is formed. A sharing of magic and mind, perhaps even soul."

Harry looked to Knight for some sort of confirmation. She gave none. Judging by her appearance, this was not a good thing.

"Why do I have a bad feeling there's more?" Harry said heavily

"Generally, the bond is temporary, lasting for a few days at the most. Except in one circumstance: Parselmouths. The Drageni are descendants of a serpentine dragon, very close to a snake. When a Parselmouth and a Drageni share blood, the blood bond changes. It is not so much a sharing of power as a commanding of it."

Harry swallowed hard. This didn't sound good.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

It wasn't Dumbledore who answered. Madam Knight turned on him–her face no longer human. Her eyes filled with darkness with scattered stars. Her teeth grew dangerously sharp. Harry sucked in a shaky breath as fear touched him. He started scooting back, but clawed hands grabbed him roughly. A vague memory of pain on his chest resurfaced. With one hand, he touched his chest.

"It means that you own me, boy." She moved closer, hissing, "And I don't like that."

"Madam Knight, control yourself, please." Dumbledore said and she stopped with hesitation. The professor continued with his explanation. "The Drageni/Parselmouth bond is almost a form of possession. Depending on the Parselmouth's desire, the bond can be more like a partnership or it could be a complete submission, even of will."

"So I could have hardly any control or as much as I want, is what you're saying?" Harry asked, but kept his eyes on the fuming dragon lady

Dumbledore nodded. Knight hissed again, causing Harry to jump.

"I'd sooner kill you than be your slave, boy."

"But you will not, will you, Tyla?" Dumbledore said soothingly, "You've marked him as your master."

She squeezed the hand she used to rip into his skin. The marks were already healed between the rip marks of his shirt, but the magic remained.

"I didn't know what I was doing!" she howled in agony.

"Nevertheless, you marked him. You both will have no choice but to accept each other."

"I won't!" she howled again.

"I don't want to have some dragon as a. . . . a. . . . pet!" Harry had enough problems as it was.

"I am sorry, both of you. If there were some way to break the bond without harm, then I would gladly do it. But this bond is forever because of what you both are."

Harry couldn't breathe. What was he going to do? Guilt washed through him. The idea of having someone bound to you . . . someone you had to master . . . It seemed so wrong.

"Well, now that I have said my part, you two will have to figure out how deep the bond goes. I suspect aspects of both your lives will change. Also, it would do well to keep this as confidential as possible. There are those who would use this to their advantage." He raised a brow at Harry, "I hope that you are not one of them."

The boy's cheeks flushed. Professor Dumbledore couldn't have been suggesting what Harry thought he was? Harry was not that crude!

"Be mindful of your feelings, both of you. Especially you, Harry." With that Professor Dumbledore left the pair to themselves.

Harry stared at Madam Knight, or maybe that should just be Tyla now, considering. Part of him feared that she would attack him, but buried deep down, he knew that she wouldn't. He could feel her need to protect him through their bond. He wondered what she felt from him? Fear, perhaps? Or worse, that need to touch her, comforting both of them. That wouldn't go over well.

Suddenly she was on her knees beside the hospital bed, gasping. Tyla grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer to the edge. When he was close enough, her arms wrapped around his waist. She pressed her head into his chest where his heart pounded against his ribs. The shaking of her body quieted the more his heart beat. He placed his hand on the back of her head, stroking the surprisingly soft braids of her hair. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her on him and the warmth of her skin. In that very moment, she was his and no one else's. In that moment, he felt fulfillment . . . he felt . . . Home . . .

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**A/N2: Oh the fun times I'm about to have with this story...**


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